Finding Home

A really enjoyable feel-good story about a girl who grew up with no family, no real friends and no roots, taking on a project to help others in need and in so doing finding all those things she so badly needs for herself. Lovely Devon seaside setting, interesting characters and a heroine to care about. Loved it.

Mim’s story is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It has been written with keen insight and perception, and inspires inner contemplation. A childhood spent in foster care could have left Mim bitter, cold and angry. Instead the kindness of her former boss gave her a gift of friendship, self-worth and a sturdy work effort. She has never had much, but even with so little she is willing to help others out. That trait led her to the Howards, Bea and Bill, who needed a lift home ( hours out of Mim’s way) and offered Mim shelter and kindness in return. One act of kindness changed the lives of Mim and the members of the Howard family for the better.

Though they are definitely not part of the same social or economic class, Mim and the Howards find themselves to be friends, confidants and almost a family of sorts. Mim’s independent nature and pride won’t let her consider taking charity without giving back in some way, whether it be by doing a favour or some task in return. Bea and Bill take this in stride and help her to find work and offer an old caravan for a place to live when she refuses to reside in their home. The Howards’ son, Corin, is an enigma to Mim. Part of a wealthy family, often dressed in rather work worn clothes and interested in geology and fossils, Corin is not anything like she assumed he would be as heir to the family business. She finds his companionship and conversations to be honest, intriguing and refreshing. She is attracted to him, but keeps that firmly in check because she has no illusions about being a suitable woman for him to be interested in dating. The chance to help the Howards form a charity and revamp the caravans on the estate grounds is rewarding for Mim and offers her more insight into the workings of the village she has come to love and it’s people. She begins to feel she has found a real home, friends and a family of sorts....something that she has never had before. But life is about to throw a new surprise her way. You will need to read this wonderful and engaging book to see what happens next.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Finding Home is a gorgeous read which I enjoyed immensely from the very first page. It’s obvious straightaway what a kind and selfless person Mim is when she offers to drive stranded couple Bill and Bea Howard home in time for their niece’s wedding. This isn’t just a quick drive across town. No, this is a five hour drive from Lancashire to Devon. Mim is really down on her luck, has been living in her car for a couple of weeks in fact and the contrast between her life and the Howards couldn’t be greater. The Howards are the owners of a large house, Vennhallow, on a big seaside estate and have quite a large and exuberant family. This family takes Mim to their hearts (as did I) and her life changed in ways she could never have imagined.

The difference kindness makes is evident throughout this book. Mim has had a difficult life and she really appreciates any small kindnesses shown to her. On the other hand, I did feel there was more than a touch Lizzie Bennet’s pride about her at times which made her defensive, even rather prickly. When you know what she’s been through, you realise that this is a defence mechanism from someone who didn’t expect much from life. At times though, this pride did make her rather over-react to some of the opportunities which came her way but I could understand why she behaved this way. Her own determination to make life better for people in similar situations to those she had experienced was heart-warming.

As much as Mim didn’t like people making assumptions about her and people like her, she was sometimes rather quick to judge others herself. Over the course of the book though she came to learn that different kinds of families bring different kinds of opportunities, challenges and pressures and that everything was not always as rosy as it appeared. Many people in the book learned valuable lessons about not judging others on preconceived ideas or first impressions. As Bea and Bill’s son Corin pointed out, ‘None of us choose our background.’

The romance in the book was rather beautifully done. It is a relationship which is probably obvious to the reader from early on but it was lovely to read about the slowly developing love between two people who were from quite different backgrounds on the face of things but who actually had much more in common than you’d think.

Kate Field’s books are a joy to read and Finding Home is no exception. It is a warm hearted and uplifting read about kindness and finding your place in the world. I loved it!

I loved this sweet story. I was instantly transported to Devon right from the start, I loved all the descriptions of the caravans and the different characters and how kind most people were to Mim. I was hoping for her to fall in love eventually so I’m glad this had a happy ending. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Heartwarming, refreshing story with a great group of characters.
The main character is Mim, she doesn’t let much get her down even though life hasn’t been very nice to her. Everything changes for Mim once she extends a helping hand to a senior couple in need of help. Mims kindness to the couple completely changes their life and her life in a very good way.
A beautiful story full of friendship, love, family and how important it is to lend a helping hand to those in need.
Overall, a very fun story to relax with on a summer day. Great beach read!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read the arc of Finding Home. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

Miranda Brown is jobless and homeless and lives in her car. But she’s got a lot to be grateful for.

Then there’s Beatrice and William Howard, who are The heads of the Howard family, who also own Venhallow Hall, which is a seaside Devonshire estate, who are now stranded in a layby, about five hours from home and it’s the the night before their niece’s wedding.

When the trio are brought together, Miranda doesn’t hesitate before she offers to drive the older couple home.

But as she reaches the village of Littlemead, she’s got no idea of how her life is going to change.

🌅A heroine who's seen hard times gets a lovely new lease on life (and love)!🌈

With a picture-perfect coastal setting, a tight-knit community and a stoic heroine that could make you cry, this is a beautiful story and totally worth the read!👍👍

I loved Mim, the working class Lancashire lass with a desperate need to finally find a place she can call home after an unsettled existence that lands her homeless and sleeping in her car. She's been through so many knocks and doubts that she deserves better but she keeps moving on and always in a positive fashion. Lacking family or friends, her act of kindness to two strangers on a cold December night leads to big surprises and her enthusiastic adoption as an honorary member of a family with wealth and resources. Friendship and love follow. It's such an uplifting story, but kept me occasionally on the verge of tears as Mim refuses to take advantage of her new friends and insists on her independence no matter how cold, lonely, exhausting and uncertain that may be.

This is an inspirational gem, easy to read and full of situations and moments that made me think; could I be as generous as Mim in similar circumstances? I mean, Mim even offers to sacrifice her comfortable life in Devon and a budding relationship for another's desire to keep her close. All eventually ends well but I was so invested in her story and hoping that her ultimate decision would be the one that would best serve her needs for home, family and friends.

Thanks to Harper Collins UK/ One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

Such a beautifully written story, full of great characters and sweet, uplifting moments. I loved seeing Mim’s life transform and especially enjoyed the way her friendship with the gorgeous Corin grew into so much more.

5 stars

I have a confession. I judged this book by its cover. It seemed sort of sweet and stodgy.. I have had it on my shelf since October and kept skipping over it. Then, I realized the pub date was coming up and figured I should read it. Boy, am I glad I did!

Miranda "Mim" Brown is jobless and homeless in Northern England - Lancashire. She's about to settle in for a night in her car when an older man taps on her window. He and his wife are in a fix. Their car has broken down and they must be home - 5 hours away - for a wedding tomorrow. Mim impulsively agrees to drive them - after all she has nothing else to do.

Once in Devon, Mim is brought into a world she never imagined. Bill and Bea Howard, the older couple, have 4 children, a fabulously successful business, a huge home, and most importantly - love. No one has ever loved Mim before.

Yes, there's a romance, but this is so much more. Mim, who has so often been judged, learns not to judge others. Mim's hard work and gratitude for even the basic necessities of life are a positive example for the Howard's'good-hearted but spoiled daughter Lia.

As George Benard Shaw once said something to the effect of "Britain and America are two nations divided by a common language." That being said, there are a few terms that don't directly translate from English to American, but for the most part, this book is an easy read for those not fluent in British. :)

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollinsUK for the opportunity to read this heartwarming digital ARC in return for an honest review.

First time reading by this author and I loved it, a story of Mim who has been living in her car after losing her job and home and a chance meeting of a very well to do couple that help Mim change every aspect of her life for the better.
Loved the storyline and characters and loved the escape to Devon so much it made me want to visit.
A very cosy read and a happy ending what more could you want.

4.5 stars
This was a really sweet read. Seeing how the Howard’s opened their arms & their hearts to Miranda was lovely. As an American I loved the descriptive nature of the book; you could practically smell the salt water in the air. Of course, it does help that I grew up in San Diego and I know what salt water smells like (albeit the Pacific ocean and not the Atlantic). Without giving too much away about Miranda’s past, I was a little confused by her insistence that blood family is the most important thing on earth. She demonstrates several times how important a found family has been for her, and yet she turns a blind eye and is insistent on blood. This was one of my few gripes with the book. Otherwise, I really did enjoy this book and teared up several times, which is a good sign for me.

Thank you to NetGalley & HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Mim has been brought up in care. She is kind, caring and grateful to Gordon who gave her a chance in life by offering her a job in his hotel. Mim is hardworking and loyal but when Gordon dies suddenly she finds herself unemployed and homeless. One night when preparing to sleep in her car she has a chance meeting with Bill and Bea who need to get to Devon urgently. Out of the goodness of her heart Mim offers to drive them. This simple act of kindness changes Mim’s life. In this adorable read Mim finds friendship, love, family and a place she can call home. Full of lovable characters this is a sweet and enjoyable read that oozes with vibes of happiness. A perfect feel good read.